JUST BEFORE CHRISTMAS IN ATLANTA
From "Victory Out Of Defeat" By Lovick Pierce Driskell
I secured a position on the Atlanta Fire Department working for them as a city fireman for eight years. The next Christmas [in 1912 or 1913] after I went to the Fire Department God was dealing with my heart, though I was deep in sin and far away from Him. On a cold, bleak winter evening just before Christmas there was a knock on the fire station door by one of the most emaciated women with a little baby in her arms. Providentially, I went to the door. They both looked like they were almost frozen. I raised my cap and said, "Kind lady can I do something for you?" With a weak, tired voice she said, "May I come in and warm?" Then I said, "Certainly you may" She came in and related one of the saddest stories that I ever heard. She said, "My husband and I lived in Chattanooga, he was taken sick and died some days ago with galloping consumption, which is a horrible disease. We used all the money that I had to lay my dear loved one away. I have a brother in Brunswick, Ga. I have walked most of the distance from Chattanooga to Atlanta trying to make it to my brother's so that my baby and I may not starve."
That poor woman had walked until blood was oozing out of her shoes while she stood there by the warm fire and related her touching experience. My heart was stirred as I was always tenderhearted regardless of my sin and revelry. I said to her, "Lady, are you not hungry?" She looked up kindly and said, "Fireman, I can't tell you how hungry I am." I excused myself for just a minute and hurried to a cafe and bought some food for her, spending all the money that I had but one dime. When the waiter of food was presented to them how grateful that poor mother and baby were and I don't think there was a dry eye among nineteen firemen.
Then I said to the captain of my company, W. B. Cody, who was later made chief, "May I take an offering for this lady and baby, and pay their way on the train to Brunswick, Ga.?" I said with tears in my eyes, "I have only one dime, but how welcome she is to that." The offering was taken. A visitor that came to see us often, a good citizen of Atlanta, Mr. Gus Ryan, was present. He pulled out his pocket book quickly and said, "Driskell, here's five dollars for the kind woman." I don't think there was a fireman that did not help liberally in that offering. After she was through eating I said "Kind lady, though there is no one here but men, if you will let me, I will be glad to get you a basin of hot water, and let you bathe your feet." She agreed to do so. I brought the water and how grateful she seemed to be for that! She bathed the child some, and soaked her tired bleeding feet.
While this was being done some of the boys asked her what number shoe she wore. She replied, "No. 4 in EE last." They slipped out and bought her a good pair of shoes that were soft and comfortable, and a good pair of hose. After soaking and drying her feet and thanking us for our unfailing kindness, and assuring us that she trusted that if she did not see our faces again that she would meet us in heaven. That was an hour that I will never forget. Then my captain said to one of the boys, "Will you take the good woman and carry her to the railroad terminal and buy her ticket out of the offering that was taken, and give her what money was left." So, this was done and how happy all of our hearts were made to feel, and though I was in sin, I thought of the scripture found in Heb. 13:2, "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers for thereby some have entertained angels unaware." Having given away all the money that I had to the dear woman, which was not but a few pennies, how God did honor my gift!
A few moments after the experience just related someone knocked at the fire station door, and said there is a bale of cotton afire in an office in the Candler Building, which was just one block from our station. This was in the fall when everyone was encouraged to buy a bale of cotton. This gentleman had purchased this bale of cotton and put it in his office, which it was nothing uncommon that fall to see bales of cotton sitting in offices in show windows. My captain told me and my partner, Ed Carwild, to take an ax and a fire extinguisher and go at once and put out the fire, but after we arrived we saw that the cotton would have to be removed from the office at once. This was done, some of the tires were cut from the bale of cotton and the fire was put out, but the owner of the cotton was afraid to have it put back in the office, so he asked me to take charge of the cotton for safekeeping during the night, I got a truck and carried it to the fire station.
To my surprise, the next morning the owner of the cotton came by the fire station and asked me if I would like to buy the bale of cotton. I said, "I would," not having the first dime to pay down on it. I asked what he would take for it, and he said, " $10.'" I used some diplomacy. I said, "May I come to the office in a few hours and bring the $10?" He said, Certainly. I got off a few minutes from my duties and hurried down to a large cotton warehouse, and sold the bale of cotton for $46 cash. They came and got the cotton, paid me my money, and I hurried to the office and gave the man his $10.
As that was Christmas Eve Day wasn't I a happy soul! I had given away the last few pennies I had to the needy woman the evening before, -- the Lord had replaced it several hundredfold. This and many other incidents in my life showed me the importance of giving my life to the Lord! "Cast thy bread upon the
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